PvB is different

Epic boss loot is decided based on different criteria than are other loot decisions.

Bloodlust costs for epic boss battles are also based on a different set of criteria than other creatures.

Rewards

Because they take so much effort to defeat, epic bosses give much more XP and credit rewards than normal creatures do.

However, if you are more than 10 levels above a boss's level, the amount of XP you receive will be reduced.

XP adjustments

The XP you receive for defeating a boss is adjusted as follows:

If the level difference between you and the boss is less than 10, your XP is calculated based on the full XP range for that boss;

If the level difference between you and the boss is greater than 10 but less than or equal to 20, your XP is calculated based on half of the xp range for that boss;

If the level difference between you and the boss is greater than 20 but less than or equal to 30, your XP is calculated based on 1/4 of the xp range for that boss;

If the level difference between you and the boss is greater than 30 but less than or equal to 40, your XP is calculated based on 1/8 of the xp range for that boss; and

If the level difference between you and the boss is greater than 40, you get 100 xp.

Summoning epic bosses

Epic bosses are not located in the primary part of each location where you meet the normal creatures of that location.

Summoning items

Each location has a special summoning item, dropped by regular creatures, that summons an epic boss. Summoning items work differently depending on your location.

You can be in any location to summon most epic bosses; you do not have to be in the location where you find the summoning item.

However, if the epic boss you summon is in a portal location, you will only be able to fight that boss while you are actually in the portal location itself (the portal is open). However, when the portal closes (for those with portal keys) the boss remains active and you can come back to the portal and continue fighting them after the portal cool-down period if the expiration time of the boss haven't been reached.

Fighting bosses

Time limits for regular locations

You have three days to defeat an epic boss in regular locations. You can also choose to surrender to an epic boss and end that battle. If you cannot defeat that boss within 72 hours, you lose.

Time limits for portal locations

You have ten (10) calendar days to defeat an epic boss in one of the portal locations. However, you can only fight that epic boss while you are in the portal location. (Remember that each portal location has a cooldown: During its cooldown period, you cannot fight the epic boss in that location.)

Combat rounds

Once an epic boss has appeared, you click on "Attack“ to start the battle.

You can then choose "Single attack“ or "Speed attack“, just as in fighting normal creatures. A speed attack immediately deals 5 attacks. After that combat round, you have to attack the epic boss again (using another round of bloodlust) and all the things that normally happen at the beginning of combat will happen again, so, your mount will charge, your servant can attack again, you gain banes and wards and other procs.

If an epic boss reduces your health to 0 (if you are deathblowed, in other words), you immediately lose 60 bloodlust. If you have less than 60 bloodlust left, then your available bloodlust is also reduced to 0.

You can either surrender a fight or just leave it and do other things in CoB, and then come back later to the epic boss fight.

Shields

Epic bosses have shields. Shields reduce the damage an epic boss receives by 100%. To defeat an epic boss, you must first destroy its shield.

Helping and getting help

You need help from others to successfully battle an epic boss. Gaining help from others also implies that you should actively help others as well.

You have a chance to receive loot (some only obtainable through assisting) just by helping out. For example, on the FB-connect platform and on [Facebook itself you can only obtain the vampiric power megalomania by helping your friends.

Shatter shield

To bring the shield down (and be able to eventually defeat the epic boss), you click on "Shatter shield“ and start a wallpost asking your friends for help. Each click from a friend reduces the amount of damage the shield absorbs by 10% of the base, meaning the shield will be eliminated when you receive 10 clicks from 10 different friends.

Hardest shield to shatter

The exception to the 10 assist clicks rule, is the coffincracker juggernaut, which has a shield that is so strong it requires the help of 20 friends to eliminate it.

It's best to wait until the shield is totally shattered before you begin attacking the epic boss directly.

Gain a buff

Once the shield is down, you can ask your friends (by clicking on the "Help from the shadows" button and starting another wallpost) to help you deal a large amount of damage to the boss.

When you receive another 10 clicks on the wallpost link, your next attack on the boss deals a huge amount of damage to the boss. Friends who helped shatter the boss's shield can also help you gain this buff.

This large amount of damage can only happen once per boss fight.

Strategy hint

On stronger bosses, generally you want to wait until this buff is completed before you begin attacking the epic boss.

Unholy blessing

After your friends help inflict a large amount of damage, you can ask your friends to help once more, to make you stronger against the boss, by clicking on the "Unholy blessing" button and making a third wallpost.

When you receive the 10 clicks on this wallpost link, you gain the proc heroism at level 2, which lets you deal 10% more damage in each attack against the boss than you would normally.

Livefeed

On the Hunting grounds Epic boss and coven bosses page you will see a link to your Livefeed. The livefeed tells you which of your friends are fighting bosses and could use some help. You also have the option to repost a friend's boss fight to your wall, so that he or she gets even more help.

Quests

There is a quest associated with each set of epic bossess in the regular locations.

History

11 August 2010: Epic bosses were added to Chronicles of Blood.

3 May 2011: The number of clicks required for each stage of epic boss help was reduced from 20 to 10.